


We Belong Awake

by padfootprophet



Category: DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, and Dick is still Nightwing, in which Wally is a regular person, masks are not great for hiding your secret ID
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-11-02 09:27:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20699210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/padfootprophet/pseuds/padfootprophet
Summary: Wally runs into trouble in Blüdhaven only to be saved by a knight in shining armour, well a knight in black and blue armour technically. An extremely handsome knight who bears a pretty strong resemblance to the guy always falling asleep in Wally's stats class.





	We Belong Awake

**Author's Note:**

> This is just an excuse to write some birdflash whilst also poking holes in the idea that anyone is fooled by superhero masks. I had a vague idea that metahumans didn't exist in this world but some people still chose to be vigilantes but it's never stated one way or another so interpret at will.  
Roy is here because I care about him but is probably not heroing.
> 
> Ok that's enough overexplaining.
> 
> Title borrowed from Fire Escape by Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness because it's my new birdflash song.

It was one of the first things they covered in induction at Blüdhaven University: there are certain parts of town you do not want to end up in late at night, dark corners of the city run by gangs more than the people who lived there. It was a smart safety warning, there were enough lives lost to the gang warfare and random criminals and BHU had a reputation to uphold. What they clearly hadn't counted on was Wally's terrible sense of direction and bad luck.

He'd been out with some… friends was probably too strong of a word, they were acquaintances from the track meets, and they'd gone to one of the casinos down on the waterfront and Wally had lost pretty much everything he'd walked in with. He didn't have enough cash to get a taxi back to campus and had decided walking was a good option.

It was becoming increasingly clear it wasn't.

His phone had died at some point in the casino so now he was definitely lost, separated from the few people he knew, and - whilst he wasn't one for judging by appearances - probably in the bad parts of town he'd been warned to steer clear of.

His luck was at least looking up when he walked past an open, well-lit bodega. He could get a snack and even though he was sure he'd get laughed at he could probably ask whoever was running the place for directions. BHU couldn't be that hard to point to, and he only had to get close enough to start recognising streets again.

A gentle buzz sounded as he opened the door signalling his entrance, and a bored looking woman glanced his way from the checkout before turning back to the magazine she was flipping through. Other than her the place was empty. The self-serve coffee machine caught Wally's eye and after checking he at least had the two bucks needed for stale, burnt coffee he set a cup to fill.

The whir of the machine almost covered the buzz signalling another customer, and Wally didn't bother to glance over, not wanting to come over too mid-western in the east coast city. He kept his gaze on the slowly filling coffee cup until a shout rang through the air.

"Get down!"

Wally span, surprised, and took in the two figures who'd entered the shop after him. They were hooded, with bandanas pulled over their faces, and one of them was pointing a gun in Wally's direction.

"I said _down_," the robber shouted again.

Wally lowered himself to the ground slowly, hands held out. He thought, inanely, that maybe the induction session on how to stay out of trouble in Blüdhaven should have covered what to do when trouble found you anyway. He was fairly sure doing what the person with the gun asked was a good start. The woman at the till was emptying it into a carrier bag with the same disinterest she'd shown her magazine - as though this was a run of the mill occurrence; knowing Blüdhaven it could have been.

Wally was shaking a little, back pressed against the counter, the coffee machine atop it beeping once to signal his drink was ready.

The door buzzed again.

"Oh, is this a bad time?"

The robbers span, their guns pointed at the intruder, and Wally watched with wide eyes as Nightwing stepped into the store, actual _Nightwing_. The vigilante of Blüdhaven had not been covered in the official BHU induction - vigilantism was technically illegal, after all. Still, the students had made sure everyone knew about their local hero in black and blue. Who was, currently, looking amused at the guns pointed his way rather than worried.

Wally discovered why a few seconds later when Nightwing moved forward, ducked between the robbers and disarmed them with a quick efficiency. There was a brief scuffle but they seemed to realise they were outmatched in every way and rather than face getting taken down and waking up in a jail cell they took off running.

"Sorry it took me so long to get here," Nightwing said with a smile at the woman behind the till. She looked as interested in this turn of events as she had been with any other. Wally was handling things less well.

Nightwing seemed to take note of him, still cowering against the coffee machine counter and approached him slowly. "Hey," he said, hands held out and up a little, like he was calming a stray dog, not a college student. "Are you doing alright?"

"I'm lost," Wally said, the words spilling out without any input from his brain.

Nightwing laughed, but it didn't feel like he was laughing _at_ Wally, and the sound made Wally smile too. "BHU by any chance?" he asked, holding a hand out in Wally's direction.

Wally took it without hesitation and found himself pulled upright and very close to the hero - close enough to catch the scent of Blüdhaven smog on his dark, tousled hair, and see the light chapping off his lips. He dropped his hand quickly, but it didn't stop his brain from acknowledging the prevalent opinion that _Nightwing was hot_. Nightwing took a step backwards and Wally took a steadying breath.

"I know they warn students about wandering Blüdhaven at night," Wally said, hoping his blush looked embarrassed more than whatever jumble of emotions the man in front of him was causing, "But what were the chances the one time I step out of range of campus I end up in a stick-em-up."

Nightwing laughed again and the sound left goosebumps along Wally's arm. "Come on, I think it might be my hero duty to make sure you get home safe." He leant past Wally, who froze for a second, until a full coffee cup was procured. "Here," he said, pressing the cup towards Wally, "I think we can claim a free cup of coffee for not letting the place get robbed."

"Two dollars," the woman at the till said, still unloading the money from the bag and back into its rightful spot.

"Wow, what's a guy gotta do to get a coffee out of you, June?"

The woman - June, if Nightwing wasn't pulling the name out of nowhere - looked up briefly. "You'd have a better chance with a gun, wannabe hero. Now get out my store."

Nightwing sighed, and produced a couple of dollar bills from some hidden pocket. Wally wasn't sure where he was stashing cash, because the body armour was clinging to his skin. Wally watched him cross over to the door and pause, turning his head to look back across the bodega. "You coming?"

As if Wally would say no. He trailed after Nightwing, figuring it was not only a choice he wanted to take but genuinely his best option for getting home in one piece. As long as his rescuer didn't need to go save someone's cat from a burning building or something else needlessly heroic.

Wally sipped at the coffee, although he couldn't help feeling he didn't need it anymore; a run in with armed robbery had pumped a heavy load of adrenaline through his system and adding caffeine felt unnecessary. It didn't help that the coffee tasted terrible. He was contemplating just tossing the cup when Nightwing stopped and tilted his head towards an alley.

"Come on," he said, sinking back into the shadows between two buildings.

"If you saved me just to mug me I have to warn you I'm the student who couldn't even afford a cab."

Nightwing's laugh pulled him into the alleyway. He was looking up at the thin strip of sky, barely visible between the overhang of a fire escape. "I figured I'd show you the quickest way home." He pulled a device from his belt, some kind of grappling hook judging from the shape, and moved to slide a hand around Wally's waist. "You might want to hold on tight." His smirk was the only warning Wally got before the device went off, the hook catching against the top of the fire escape, a metal strands of the rope glinting in the faint light filtering through the alley entrance.

Wally dropped his coffee cup into the dumpster pushed up against the alley wall, taking Nightwing at his word and wrapping arms around his shoulders. He thanked the darkness because pressing up against that body was definitely bringing his blush back. Nightwing tightened his own arm around Wally's waist in response. "I've got you," he said, voice low and right against Wally's ear.

There was a rush of vertigo as the ground slid away from Wally's feet, and he buried his face against Nightwing's shoulder until, with only a small stumble, they set down on the rooftop. Still, he clung on for a second, not entirely trusting his own balance and warring with his desire to press even closer and kiss that smile, wide with laughter, until it twisted into something else. He pulled away and pretended not to notice the way Nightwing's hand lingered against him, before slowly sliding from his back.

With a little more space he could see why Nightwing had selected this particular rooftop. It was the tallest building on the street, and whilst it was outclassed by the office blocks in the city centre and the casinos down by the waterfront Wally could see a large portion of Blüdhaven laid out before him. Including the university campus, only a few blocks away.

"Guess I wasn't so hopelessly lost after all," he said.

Nightwing stepped up to the edge of the rooftop, footfalls silent despite the strength buried in every muscle. Wally stared, feeling warm all over at the thought of Nightwing's arms around him. "Think you can find your way home now?"

Wally barely registered the question. "Huh?"

He was pulled to the edge of the rooftop by Nightwing's hand around his wrist. He pointed down the street. "Head that way until you get to the church, turn left, down past the station, skim around the edge of the park and you're back to campus." Wally followed Nightwing's finger as it traced out the quickest way home.

He wasn't sure how to say it was less the directions he was struggling with and more the man giving them. "Pretty sure you could have told me that on the ground."

"But then you'd miss the view."

"Of Blüdhaven?" The city didn't exactly scream beautiful landscapes. It was grimy and dilapidated and painted over with the neon signs of the bars and casinos. The ocean stretched out away from the docks, as grey as the sky. Wally had never seen it the dazzling blue of southern beaches. "I think you just wanted an excuse to get me in your arms."

Nightwing's smile was breath-taking and dangerous. "Maybe. You could have used the fire escape."

"I might on the way down."

"But then you'll miss the best part."

"What's that?"

Nightwing's arm was around his waist again, pulling them so close Wally almost tripped into him, which would have been very bad considering how close they were to the edge of the roof. Then Nightwing took a step backwards so they were even closer, one foot on the lip that signalled the edge of the roof. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

Wally swallowed, and nodded.

And then they were falling, over the edge of the roof. Wally swallowed a shout of surprise and clung to Nightwing, hoping the hero knew what he was doing. He heard wind rushing past him and then a click of metal sinking against brick and they pulled to a stop a couple of feet from the ground.

Nightwing lowered them gently to the floor laughing as Wally took a few stumbling steps and put his back against the wall of the building they'd just been on top off. He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath.

"I think I hate you."

Nightwing laughed again, bubbling with joy, and Wally couldn't help but crack open an eye to take in his gentle windswept curls and wide smile. He wished he could see the same laughter reflect in the eyes covered by the whites of the mask. "I'll be keeping an eye from the rooftops," Nightwing said, his laughter dying back. He squeezed Wally's arm briefly and used the same grappling hook that had caught them on the way down to pull himself back up to the top of the building.

Wally took a few more deep breaths and focused on getting home. Even if Nightwing was watching over him he still ought to get back to the safer end of the city. And walking might help with the weakness in his knees that was only partially because of the moment of free fall.

Wally slumped into his usual seat in the lecture hall with a sigh. Whoever scheduled stats for eight am on a Thursday was clearly some kind of villain. He wondered if he could persuade Nightwing it was genuine villainy, and then blushed a little at the thought of the vigilante and the meeting he hadn't been able to get off his mind all week.

Thinking about Nightwing was going to derail his attention even quicker than normal, so he tried to push thoughts of the man aside as he pulled out his notebook and pen and settled in for what was bound to be a terrible hour and waste of his morning.

Roy dropped into the seat next to him, slumping against it with heavy bags under his eyes. "Next semester if anyone suggests taking an eight am course just shoot me," he said, pulling a flask of what was probably extremely strong coffee from his bag and taking a long draught.

"I don't know why you didn't change classes in week one," Wally said, doodling at the corner of his page in an attempt to focus his mind, "It's not like you _need_ stats." Not like Wally, who would have had to give up half his science modules if he wasn't here. He sighed in annoyance as his doodles took on a familiar wing symbol; he was supposed to be getting his late night rescuer out of his head.

He dropped the pen in favour of looking around the slowly filling lecture hall - other students stuck taking stats to support the subjects they wanted to study, like him, combined with students who were just trying to fill their credits, like Roy - and his eyes landed on a man slumped over a couple of rows in front of him. He was sure he'd seen the student in class before and not even noticed, but between his dark hair and the line of his jaw where it lay across his folded arms, he looked familiar.

Wally was probably seeing things; he'd been obsessing over Nightwing and now he was catching similarities in his classmates. Clearly he needed to get laid or _something_. Still he couldn't help but stare - the hair was slicked back but the same sooty midnight colour and his skin the same tawny brown. The student was wearing a baggy sweater in soft cream and the arms of it were acting as his pillow.

Wally only became aware he'd been analysing every line of the student's face, looking for similarities, when Roy elbowed him in the side.

"Dude, stop staring."

Wally turned his attention back to his notepad sharply. "I wasn't… I-" the half formed protest died in his throat. He had no defence. He rubbed his hand across his face, attempting to rub away his thoughts alongside it.

"Sure." Roy didn't seem convinced by Wally's failure to produce any excuse. "Just be careful."

"What?"

Roy nodded towards the half-asleep student. "Dick Grayson? Serial heartbreaker? I know he's hot but… just watch yourself, okay?"

Wally wasn't sure how to explain he wasn't thinking of making a move so much as he was trying to work out if he shared a stats class with freaking _Nightwing_. He hadn't told anyone about the other night, both embarrassed about the need to be saved and filled with the slightly irrational desire to keep the meeting secret. He was saved from coming up with an excuse by the arrival of the professor, and after about fifteen minutes of statistical formulae thoughts of Dick Grayson and Nightwing had slipped his mind.

Somehow, despite half the city revering Nightwing as a local legend, there were very few pictures of the man in question. Blurry photographs taken through windows at night, occasional unfocused videos of fighting, static ridden security footage, but nothing solid. No one had managed to get the hero to stop for a selfie.

The closest Wally could find on the internet were drawn by sketch artists - likely in an attempt by the police to find the vigilante and stop him, or at least control him. An independent force of justice didn't sit well with the law enforcement; the half of the city that didn't revere Nightwing damning him.

Wally scrolled through one of many dedicated Nightwing sites, finding nothing of interest beyond a thread discussing the size of the hero's _package_. Which was definitely interesting, if not at all helpful. He switched over to the other open tab - Dick Grayson's Facebook page, almost entirely private except the profile picture; and sure, Wally would swear the smile was as warm and enticing as Nightwing's but it was hardly proof. Looking up Dick online had turned up articles more about Bruce Wayne than Dick himself, and barely anything once he moved out of the Wayne related spotlight.

Resigning himself to finding no concrete evidence either way Wally closed out of the browser. He was supposed to be working on a physics assignment anyway, it was the whole reason he'd come to the library. He brought up the report outline and sighed. He needed at least five more references before his professor would be satisfied.

He wove between the shelves, grabbed three textbooks that were at least on the right subject matter and turned to head back to the computer he'd snagged, only to draw up short at the sight of Dick Grayson, a stack of notes sprawled across a table, head bent down to read through them, more awake than he was in stats, but it was after lunch now.

Wally bit his lip and decided that maybe hearing him talk would be the final piece of evidence he needed to settle his Dick Grayson is Nightwing theory. He shifted the books into one arm and approached the table.

"Hi," he said, putting on what he hoped was his most charming smile.

Dick looked up sharply and his eyes widened a fraction before his face turned impassive. "Sorry, do you need table space?"

Wally glanced sideways. The library was mostly empty, he wasn't even worried his extended departure would result in him losing the computer. "No, I… we have stats together, I figured I'd be friendly."

"Oh, I thought I recognised you." Dick smiled, a gentle tilt of his lips that made him look even more attractive. Roy had also been correct in his statement that _Dick was hot_. He gestured to the seat opposite and Wally took it without thinking, textbooks hitting the desk with a loud thump.

"Wally West," he said, peering at the books on Dick's side of the table - a small stack of historical memoirs that definitely didn't explain why the guy was taking stats.

Dick's eyes flicked between his notes and Wally. "Dick Grayson," he said distractedly, "Totally swamped."

"Sleeping through lectures probably doesn't help."

There was a laugh, so quiet Wally couldn't tell if it was the same, Dick's whispers not solid enough to place in his memories of Nightwing's voice. His eyes crinkled at the corners slightly as he smiled. "It's not my fault I'm expected to memorise equations at eight in the morning. Whose idea was that?"

"Someone terrible," Wally said, sharing a smile with the man across from him. "Look, I'll let you get on with whatever is swamping you." He pushed back from the table, fingers tapping against the physics textbooks as he tried to not overthink things. "If you, uh, ever sleep through something really important I'm pretty good with numbers."

"Is this your way of asking for mine?" Dick asked, still smiling.

Wally blushed. "I'm offering homework help!" His voice was a little too loud in the quiet of the library, and he blushed darker. He grabbed his textbooks as Dick laughed, the sound sending a familiar tingle through him. Very Nightwing-esque.

"Here." Dick scribbled down a string of digits on the corner of his notebook before tearing it off and passing it to Wally. "Text me sometime."

Taking it, Wally attempted to not look as flustered as he felt, and probably failed thanks to his fair skin and obvious, excessive blushing. He walked back to his computer, transferred the number to his phone because he was certain he would lose it, and tried to focus on his assignment and not be too over eager about texting Dick.

Wally's phone buzzed and he was almost surprised to see a message from Dick. Sure, he was awake, but he had excuses. Of course if Dick had only just gotten in from an evening of being Nightwing… Wally stopped the train of thought, knowing it would do him no good and settling on just checking the message before jumping to conclusions.

_D: this stats assignment is kicking my ass :(_

** _W: it's 1am stop working_ **

_D: I have insomnia, whats your excuse_

Which made sense, considering Dick was always tired. Or at least always tired at eight in the morning. It was more likely than secretly being a vigilante.

** _W: wellll…_ **

** _W: I kind of got caught up in a lotr marathon with my friend_ **

_D: ha! You ARE a total nerd_

** _W: wow_ **

** _W: thinking of taking back my offer of help_ **

_D: noooo_

_D: Wally I need you_

_D: please_

Wally shifted, trying to focus on the fighting on the screen in front of him, on Aragorn arriving with the army of dead just in time, on something that wasn't Dick and his overly suggestive text messages. Judging from the look he received from Roy he wasn't doing a very good job.

"Who's booty calling you right now?"

Wally rolled his eyes. "No one's _booty calling _me. It's not 2005."

Roy snorted. "Okay, but it's gone midnight and I doubt it's Aragorn who's got you this flustered."

"Maybe it is."

"Like you said, it's not 2005. Also your phone keeps going off."

It did so again, and Wally looked down to find his phone lit up with a new message; he was torn between ignoring it because it would probably incriminate him further and saying fuck it because he liked talking to Dick, regardless of whether or not he thought he was a) hot and b) possibly Nightwing.

"He's just looking for homework help."

Roy continued to stare at him with disbelief. "Sure. Just know if he asks you to go over there right now it's not homework, it's a hook-up."

Wally flipped him off.

_D: what will it take to get you to agree to save me from failing?_

_D: are you not responding because you wont help?_

_D: pleeeease help_

** _W: alright alright_ **

** _W: its just almost the scene where eowyn pulls off her helmet im distracted_ **

He actually barely glanced up as Eowyn revealed herself and stabbed the wraith. Despite it being one of the most badass moments of the trilogy. Definitely top ten. Dick was far more distracting than the film, and he had already watched it too many times to count.

_D: I swear ill make it up to you ;)_

Wally was not going to prove Roy right, and deliberately ignored the winking emoji.

** _W: you should still stop working_ **

** _W: we can meet up tomorrow and go through it_ **

_D: my roommates out all day_

_D: so if you wanted to come over…_

_D: I dont really want to trek to the library_

** _W: yeah ok_ **

_D: ill leave you to your hobbits x_

** _W: and my elves_ **

_D: got a thing for legolas?_

** _W: im not answering that_ **

** _W: good night dick xx_ **

Dick lived in one of the nicer dorms on campus. In that it overlooked the park rather than an industrial estate and didn't look like it was one bad day away from being abandoned and left to squatters. Still, Wally's accommodation was cheap and he could go to the library, or one of the countless coffee shops, or literally anywhere else to get out of his room.

If he lived in Dick's building he might be less keen on making it to lectures.

He dropped his backpack as he sat down on the edge of Dick's bed and had to resist lying back completely. "How is it that even your beds are comfier?"

"It's called a mattress topper."

"Fancy."

Dick snorted, sinking down into his desk chair. He had bags under his eyes and looked about ready to turtle into the oversized, navy sweater he was wrapped in. He rubbed at his eyes briefly before pulling some paper out of the desk drawer. "Come on then genius, explain variance to me." He sifted through a pile of textbooks on the desk and picked out the one for their stats module, tossing it towards Wally on the bed, following a few seconds later and curling his legs up under him as he sat next to Wally.

The bed ended up littered with paper; graphs, drawings, pages of numbers, pages of working, Wally pulling a second textbook out, and by the time Wally had finished explaining half the syllabus hours had slipped by. The time it had taken probably hadn't been helped by the way Dick chewed on his pen when he was thinking, the cap pulling at his lips and derailing Wally's thought's every so often, or by Dick announcing they needed snacks and the two of them spending a good ten minutes trying to throw peanut M&Ms into each other's mouths. And sure, Wally's brain was fried but he'd enjoyed it.

He gave into his earlier temptation to lie back against Dick's comforter, soft and plush beneath him, knocking the papers scattering onto the floor. Dick rolled his eyes from where he was sat, knees bent, against the headboard writing up the last of his assignment.

"So how come your taking a stats class anyway, if you hate it so much?" Wally asked.

Dick shrugged, scribbling against the pad of paper resting on his thighs. "I don't hate it-"

"I just spent a good two hours tutoring you."

"Was I such a terrible student?" Dick pouted slightly and Wally was forced to look away before he did something rash. He made a non-committal sound in the back of his throat and Dick continued talking. "I'm just bad at it. But if I end up on a psych major I'll probably need it."

"Yeah? You planning on taking psych?"

Dick shrugged again. "I wasn't planning on college at all." He set the pen down and curled forward instead, hugging his knees. "I moved to Blüdhaven without any real plan. I just wanted out from Gotham."

"And you came to Blüdhaven? Why not move to like… Europe or something?"

Dick's lips tilted into a smile, but it was tinged with something sad. "I don't hate home that much. I just didn't want to live there anymore." He pulled back again, pen scratching something across the paper. "I started working as a counsellor at this youth centre. But at the moment my only credentials are 'I've been there' and most people think it stops counting when I got adopted by Bruce freaking Wayne. Like I didn't feel even more lost."

Wally wants to say something, wants to give something back to Dick for his openness but he has about nothing to offer - a normal enough childhood, slightly distant parents, a better father figure in his uncle.

Dick nudged his shoulder with his foot. "What about you? Why Blüdhaven?"

"Because Nightwing's cooler than Batman?" Dick didn't laugh, but the sadness in his eyes was replaced by something warmer. Wally looked back up at the ceiling and sighed. "I went to NYU for a year, and totally failed. Too young, maybe, so then I moved back home until I decided to try again. On my own terms."

"Blüdhaven's good for that."

"Doing things on your own terms?"

Dick hummed, and uncurled himself to get off the bed and drop his paper on the desk, stopping to scoop up the pages Wally had shoved unceremoniously on the floor. Wally watched him, no longer distracted by work, mind coming back to his unanswered questions. Now he'd spent more time with Dick than with Nightwing, spent more time studying his face, his smile, his graceful movements. He couldn't trust his memory of the other night anymore, his mind overlaying what he knew now with what he remembered then.

"Have you met him?" he asked.

Dick paused where he was straightening papers on the desk. "Who?"

"Nightwing."

A page slipped out towards the floor and he tutted as caught it and slapped it back on top of the pile. "Haven't had the pleasure."

"Or the misfortune, I guess." Dick was probably more than capable of staying out of the _bad_ parts of the city. He must have been here five years by now. As long as Nightwing? Longer?

"Have you?" The question came out oddly sharp, compared to the warmth Dick had shown, even when talking about his past. He sat back down on the bed, somewhere around Wally's knees.

Wally looked up at the ceiling, still a little embarrassed, but knowing he wouldn't get anywhere if he backed down now. "Yeah. Pretty recently. He, uh, kind of rescued me." He felt his face heat up, but it wasn't the embarrassment, or it wasn't just the embarrassment - he could still remember Nightwing's arms around him, free falling, his laugh in the wind.

"Well, he _is_ a hero."

"Still it's awkward right? Needing to be rescued." Wally was still avoiding looking at Dick and he was a little surprised when the other man shifted so his face was in Wally's line of sight.

"There's nothing wrong with needing help," he said, "As I keep telling the kids at the centre." Which meant he was still working there on top of getting his degree. If he was out for a few hours a night as Nightwing he'd never sleep. Except in classes.

"I guess that's why you called me."

Dick hummed, the fingers of the hand closest to Wally's thigh brushing against him, light enough he could pass it off as changing position if he wanted. "That was one reason."

Wally's whole body felt like it was lit up with electricity, he was hyper aware of every breath he took, and every breath Dick took above him. "And the other reason?" Wally sounded shaky, his voice barely crossing the space between them.

Dick leant down, lips pressed against Wally's in something soft and gentle and not nearly enough. Not with how much Wally wanted this. He surged upwards, hands lifting to slide along the back of Dick's neck, to cling to the thick fabric of his sweater, to pull him closer. Dick was oh so willing to do so, twisting so he could set his knees either side of Wally's thighs, straddling his lap and burying his own hands in Wally's hair guiding with gentle tugs against the strands.

Then Dick was pushing and pulling at his shirt and Wally was sitting upright, helping to get it over his head and settling Dick deeper in his lap at the same time. He could feel the early strains of his own arousal before his shirt even landed as Dick writhed against him, attempting to touch everywhere and kiss his mouth, his jaw, his neck, down across his chest.

Wally shuddered and slid his hands around Dick's back, over his firm ass, feeling Dick's gasping breath in response. He slipped his hands slowly upwards, under the sweater that was so soft where it caught between their stomachs and ran his hands over the muscles he found there.

Dick was, under the baggy sweaters he wore so consistently, ripped. Wally's thumb caught against a ridge of scar tissue and the part of his mind that wasn't focused on Dick's teeth scraping against his collarbone supplied that being a vigilante probably led to a lot of scars. That of course Nightwing would want to cover up the power of his muscles with loose fitting clothes.

Wally pulled his hands away and leant back against them, the motion sudden enough to break the contact between Dick's lips and his skin.

"Wally?" Dick asked, his voice hoarse. He pulled a kiss swollen lip between his teeth as his brows pinched in a small frown. "You okay?"

And Wally couldn't really explain why he stopped, why his mind was running too fast for him to keep up. He took a deep breath. "I, uh, just need to slow down a bit," he offered. He bit back a groan as Dick shifted back from his lap and dragged against the tight bulge in his jeans, and then the weight was gone completely.

Dick watched him cautiously, the heat in his eyes shuttered behind a guarded look. Wally grabbed his shirt from where it had been tossed against the headboard and pulled it back over himself. "I'm sorry," he said, at a loss of what else to say.

The downward turn of Dick's lips was something Wally only caught because he couldn't stop himself from staring at them, because he wanted to kiss them again and again. "It's fine," Dick said, running a hand through his hair, pushing it back into place from where the gel had given way under Wally's fingers. A small curl dropped past his ear the same way Nightwing's had. It made Wally's heart clench, and he had to take some time to think, to approach this sensibly because he couldn't just accuse Dick of leading a secret double life as a vigilante, not now.

"I'm just… not ready," he admitted.

"It's fine," Dick repeated, turning his face away, "It happens."

Wally was at a loss, because clearly this was upsetting Dick, but he wasn't sure why. Because he put himself out there and got shot down? Because he let himself be vulnerable and it didn't work out? Wally swung himself over the edge of the bed, feet hitting the carpet and said, "I'm gonna go."

"Yeah."

"I'll see you around?" He could only hope Dick wouldn't turn him away completely, because he still liked him _so much_ and he wasn't sure how to say it right now. He dropped his textbook back into his backpack and looked across at Dick, staring at the opposite wall, his lips still dark and his cheeks still tinged with pink. Wally ached to just give in and give Dick everything he wanted.

"Sure." Dick still wouldn't look at him

Wally thought briefly about reaching out, about reassuring both of them this wasn't the end, but he was fairly sure it wouldn't be welcome. So he pulled up his backpack, hands clenched around the straps and walked away, a heavy feeling in his gut.

** _W: can we talk?_ **

** _W: please_ **

** _W: there's so much I want to say to you_ **

** **

** _W: please dick, I really want to work this out_ **

** **

Wally went days with nothing. No response, not even a refusal, just silence. He had hoped he could get Dick to at least acknowledge him in stats but Dick turned up five seconds before the professor did and was gone the moment the lecture finished.

He was getting a little desperate, and gloomy to the point that Roy even made an attempt to cheer him up, offering to take him out to a club or a casino or _something_ if Wally would just smile.

It was probably still a bad excuse for what he ended up doing. Roy put the idea in his head, bringing up the casinos, reminding Wally of how this had started out. He mapped a path into gang territory, the metaphorical red X that he'd learned about when he first arrived at BHU. It was a stupid idea, and he almost turned back more than once, but it was approaching midnight on a Friday and there was likely no better time or place to find Nightwing.

An alarm sounded, and there was a sound like a shot - it could have easily been a car backfiring but Wally was ready to assume the worst. He followed the sounds, trying to make it look like he wasn't, that he was just walking and not following trouble.

He traced a meandering path - zagging back and forth between the edge of the dockside and the riches of the casinos and Meadowdale and it's not quite legal street market. He wasn't entirely surprised when he passed close to an entrance of an alley and got dragged inside - he wasn't _aiming_ to look like a lost tourist ripe for mugging but he likely came across so anyway - he was a little more surprised by the glove covering his mouth to keep him quiet, the traces of blue over the black, and the familiar voice that whispered in his ear. "Are you lost again?"

The hand slipped away quickly and Wally turned to find Nightwing, almost definitely Dick Grayson, stood in front of him.

Now he was here Wally had no idea what to say. "Uh, yes?" Lying really wasn't his strong suit, no wonder he had no luck in the casinos.

"You know," Nightwing said, stepping into Wally's space, and lifting that hand again, resting it against Wally's arm. "If you wanted to see me again there are probably safer options."

Wally flicked his tongue over his lip. They were the same height, the same build, they had the same _voice_. Still, if he could catch Dick in an outright lie. "It's not like you gave me your number," he said.

Nightwing slid his hand from Wally's arm up to his neck, the drag of the glove sending a shiver down his spine and then Nightwing pulled and Wally followed until their lips crashed together. They took a couple of stumbling steps and Nightwing's back hit against the wall of the alley, legs twisting around Wally's and pulling him deeper into the desperate kiss.

It was both everything that kissing Dick had been and _more_. Out of the quiet comfort of Dick's bedroom Nightwing was more demanding, a little harsher. Wally gave easily, because this was proof that despite ignoring him Dick still wanted him just as much. He blazed kiss from Nightwing's lips to his jaw, biting and tasting the sweat and city dust that had gathered there from wherever he'd been heroing that night.

"_Wally_," Dick moaned as the trail of kisses and nips hit a sensitive spot just blow his ear.

Wally pulled back, just enough to take a shaky lungful of air. He kept a tight grip on Dick's hips, cursing that Nightwing didn't share his proclivity for excessive fabric he could sink his fists into. "You know, _Nightwing_," he said quietly, still close enough to Dick's ear he didn't have to do more than whisper. "I never told you my name."

Dick stiffened against him, the hands buried in Wally's hair pulling tight just a second. "I looked you up."

Wally let out a slightly bitter laugh. "God, you are such a _dick_."

Nightwing easily broke away from him, stepped sideways and folded his arms across his chest. He leant back against the wall casually, as though he could cover up the flush on his cheeks, the pulse of red shining through the tan. "So what? You're mad now?" His tone was cold and Wally was fairly sure he'd pull away completely if he wasn't careful. Then he'd be left with no Dick Grayson and Nightwing might actually leave him to the muggers.

"I'm just trying to work out what's going on."

It wasn't the first time Wally wished he could just take the damn mask off. Dick's jaw was tense but Wally wanted to see his eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you all my secrets, but I'm trying not to get arrested or _killed_. I have a _family_ to protect."

Wally held up his hands. "That's not what I'm upset about."

"Then what's the problem?"

"You really don't get it?" The whites of Nightwing's mask were fixed on him. "You've been ignoring me. I thought things were going well. I liked you. And then _nothing_. I had to come out to the bad end of the city just to get you to talk to me."

"Didn't you get what you wanted though? You came looking for _Nightwing_." He unfolded his arms to spread them wide. "Here he is."

There was something in the way he was talking, in the detachment he had to Nightwing, in the contempt he was using to mask the fact he was upset. Wally almost laughed. "I came looking for Nightwing because you refused to talk to me. Also because _you're the same person_." Wally stepped forward, and reached out the way he wished he had in Dick's bedroom - just a gentle touch against Dick's cheek. "Everything I like about you doesn't go away just because you style your hair differently."

Dick was silent, but he didn't pull away from the touch, and his posture relaxed a little. "What gave me away?"

Wally didn't know exactly when he'd known, but he brushed his thumb across the corner of Dick's lips. "Your smile."

"Yeah? Spend a lot of time looking at my mouth?"

Wally almost told him to shut up, but decided that maybe actions could speak louder than words, and pressed forward again, hands set on both of Dick's cheeks as he leant in to kiss him hard. "I like you a lot," he whispered, sliding his fingers back into Dick's hair.

Dick's own hands settled against his hips, two fingers hooking into his belt loops to pull him closer still. "I like you a lot too," he admitted, a whisper into the space between them, "Which is going to cause some problems."

"Like what?"

A series of shouts sounded from a couple of streets over, followed by a crash of broken glass. "Like _that_." He tipped his head away from Wally and the scrunch of his forehead betrayed the fact he had screwed his eyes shut. "I should go find out what's going on."

"Yeah." Wally didn't want to pull away, but he rationalised that this had been a success, and that this was also something he'd have to get used to. He let his hands fall away. "Just promise you'll actually text me."

Dick slid past him, pausing to plant a quick kiss against Wally's cheek. "Get home safe." Then he was gone, Nightwing sliding further into the darkness of the alley and the familiar click of the grappling gun was followed by the dull sound of it catching against the edge of the rooftop above them.

Wally was sure Nightwing was long gone by the time he stepped out of the alley again, reorienting himself and starting his way back to campus, hoping he didn't get lost this time.

Dick dropped next to Wally with a yawn, a thermos of something warm curled between two sleeve covered hands. He laid his head against Wally's arm.

"Long night?" Wally asked. Dick's answer, if it contained words, was mumbled against the fabric of Wally's jacket. Wally laughed fondly and dropped a kiss against his temple. "Why are you even here? You know I'm just going to teach you everything anyway."

Dick shifted his head enough that the next words were directed at the desk. "I need the extra five percent for perfect attendance." He swatted a hand gently against Wally's own. "Now be a good pillow and stop talking."

Wally watched as Dick dozed off against him, completely infatuated and still not entirely sure how he had managed to pull it off.

Roy sat down on his other side loudly enough to disturb Dick slightly, but not enough that he looked up, and stared evenly at Wally. "So how long has this been happening?"

"Come on, man," Wally groaned. It was too early to be interrogated over his love life. "It's new, we've been on like one date." He isn't sure any of their interactions would actually count as such but Nightwing did buy him coffee then dragged him up to a rooftop. It was all very romantic, or at least vaguely date like.

"Alright." Roy leant forward and tapped the desk in front of Dick. "Quick question. When you were interrupting Return of the King to ask for _'homework help'_," Roy paused to use air quotes even though Dick was focused on his coffee - or at least it smelt like coffee - so the air quotes must have been for his own benefit. "Were you seriously expecting it, or just looking for sex."

Dick choked on the coffee in his throat, spluttering briefly and blinking as he set the flask down. Wally was struggling with his own blush, alarmed because Dick had definitely been up for it when he _had_ gone over, and they hadn't really talked about Wally turning him down since.

"_Roy_," he complained, his voice far too high to sound normal.

It pulled a laugh out of Dick. He coughed a couple more times into the sleeve of his sweater, clearing the last of the coffee from his throat. "Can't it have been both?" Wally dropped his head to the desk with a pathetic sound and Dick slipped a hand under the desk to squeeze his thigh gently. "Come on, Walls, it's not news that I kind of want to jump you."

"I can't believe I'm praying for this lecture to start early right now," Wally muttered against the wood of the desk. He turned his head towards Roy intent on glaring at him for bringing up the topic, only to find Roy smirking over his own cup of coffee.

"Told you, past midnight it's a booty call."


End file.
